Chapter Highlights The study addressed the question of whether
living in high-performance homes is associated C Most homebuyers in the SheaHomes and with a higher incidence of resource-conserving comparison communities agree that they practice behaviors as reported by respondents. energy-conserving behaviors, recycle, and try to Respondents were asked about their agreement conserve water.
with 12 statements on energy-conservation C Minorities of both categories of homebuyers behaviors such as turning off lights and adjusting indicate that they drive fuel-efficient vehicles. thermostats, recycling, water conservation,
ownership of fuel-efficient vehicles, and general thriftiness.
C No significant difference on self-reported conservation behaviors are found between SheaHomes and comparison homeowners.
Analysis by Ownership of SheaHomes C The findings suggest that PV owners may engage
and Comparison Homes slightly more in environmental behaviors, such as recycling, than do non-PV owners.
Respondents to all questionnaires were asked: “Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements.”
C Male respondents (75%) are significantly more likely than female respondents (59%) to report that they turn off their computers when not in Responses to 12 statements concerning resource use.
conservation behaviors were sought on a 5-point Likert scale from “Strongly disagree” to “Strongly agree.” As summarized in Table 54,
most respondents agree or strongly agree with most of the statements presented.
Results from this item on self-reported conservation behaviors were analyzed by SheaHomes and comparison groups. Table 54 summarizes the results. It was hypothesized that SheaHomes buyers would be more inclined to engage in energy-conserving behaviors because of owning high-performance homes; however, no significant differences in reported energy-related
behaviors are found by homeowners in the two communities. In fact, although the differences are not significant, there is a slight tendency for comparison homeowners to report more “energy conscious” behaviors than do SheaHomes owners, providing a very small bit of evidence for the existence of a “take-back effect” among SheaHomes owners. However, this evidence is so slight that it cannot be concluded such an effect exists.
Analysis by PV Ownership
The self-reported energy behavior results for SheaHomes owners were also analyzed by PV system ownership. Results are summarized in Table 55. Again, it was hypothesized that PV system owners would be more inclined to engage in energy conservation behaviors, either because they own PV systems with digital displays and would be more attuned to their energy usage, or because they already had a predilection to conserve energy before they purchased their
homes, or both. This had been suggested by previous qualitative interviews with SheaHomes owners. PV owners are more likely to agree that they modify their thermostat settings when away, and during winter and summer. Yet a statistically significant difference in responses by PV ownership is found for only one of the 12 listed behaviors when t-tests and P2 analyses are run. On the other hand, the mean scores are higher among PV owners for eight of the 12 listed items. Among SheaHomes owners, a significantly higher percentage of PV owners than non-PV owners agree that they recycle regularly (t= –2.332; p=.021; P2=8.916; p=.012). In fact, although the results are not significant, non-PV owners (95%) are more likely than PV owners (88%) to agree that they turn off lights when not in use, and that they turn off computers when not in use (74% of non-PV owners compared with 62% of PV owners). Thus, the hypothesized positive effect of PV ownership on energy conservation behavior over the short-term (from 6 to at least 12 months) is not supported by these data. The data do suggest that PV owners may engage in more
environmental behavior, such as recycling, than do non-PV owners. Analysis by Gender
The self-reported energy behaviors were also crosstabulated by gender of the head-of-household respondent. Only one significant difference is found among them: a higher percentage of male heads-of-household completing the questionnaire (75%) than female heads-of-household
completing the questionnaire (59%) report that they turn off their computers when not in use. To speculate, this result may be a function of more frequent computer usage among the males than the females in the two groups. For example, as a relevant anecdote, during the qualitative phase of the study, one home was identified that housed a business involving significant computer usage that was run exclusively by men.
Table 54. Self-Reported Energy Behaviors by SheaHomes and Comparison Respondents Behaviors SheaHomes Owners Mean Score (n=175) Comparison Home Owners Mean Score (n=52) % Agree or Strongly Agree (both groups)
We turn off the lights in our house when we are not
using them.* 4.41 4.60
SheaHomes: 93% Comparison: 98%
Total: 94% When we are away, we modify our thermostat
settings to save energy and utility costs. 4.27 4.52
SheaHomes: 84% Comparison: 90%
Total: 86% We regularly recycle paper, plastic, or cans. 4.20 4.23 Comparison: 85%SheaHomes: 89% Total: 88% We are more energy conscious than we used to be. 4.01 4.12 Comparison: 81%SheaHomes: 80% Total: 80% In the winter months, we regularly set our
thermostat to 70° F or lower. 3.98 3.98
SheaHomes: 75% Comparison: 73%
Total: 74% We work to conserve water. 3.93 3.98 Comparison: 77%SheaHomes: 74% Total: 75% We turn off computers when we leave the house. 3.83 3.75 Comparison: 67%SheaHomes: 69% Total: 69% In the summer months, we regularly set our
thermostat to 75° or higher. 3.60 3.83
SheaHomes: 61% Comparison: 65%
Total: 62%
We tend to be thrifty. 3.48 3.58 Comparison: 62%SheaHomes: 56%
Total: 57% In our new home, we use air conditioning less than
we did in our previous home. 3.43 3.46
SheaHomes: 50% Comparison: 54%
Total: 51% We drive fuel-efficient vehicles. 3.07 3.16 Comparison: 42%SheaHomes: 38% Total: 39%
We practice xeriscaping. 2.80 2.76 Comparison: 17%SheaHomes: 13%
Total: 13% *Statistically significant difference found using a t-test but not found using a P2 test, (t= –2.036; p=.044)
Table 55. Self-Reported Energy Behaviors among SheaHomes Owners by Ownership of PV Systems Behaviors PV Owners Mean Score (n=175) Non-PV Owners Mean Score (n=52) % Agree or Strongly Agree (both groups)
We turn off the lights in our house when we are not
using them. 4.30 4.48
PV Owner: 88% Non-PV Owner: 95% Total: 93% When we are away, we modify our thermostat
settings to save energy and utility costs. 4.40 4.19
PV Owner: 90% Non-PV Owner: 81% Total: 84% We regularly recycle paper, plastic, or cans.* 4.39 4.08
PV Owner: 97% Non-PV Owner: 83% Total: 89% We are more energy conscious than we used to be. 4.12 3.94
PV Owner: 81% Non-PV Owner: 79% Total: 80% In the winter months, we regularly set our thermostat
to 70°F or lower. 4.01 3.96
PV Owner: 80% Non-PV Owner: 71% Total: 75% We work to conserve water. 3.87 3.97 Non-PV Owner: 75% PV Owner: 73% Total: 74% We turn off computers when we leave the house. 3.60 3.97
PV Owner: 62% Non-PV Owner: 74% Total: 69% In the summer months, we regularly set our
thermostat to 75° or higher. 3.72 3.51 PV Owner: 68% Non-PV Owner: 57% Total: 61% We tend to be thrifty. 3.57 3.42 PV Owner: 57% Non-PV Owner: 55% Total: 56% In our new home, we use air conditioning less than
we did in our previous home. 3.46 3.41
PV Owner: 49% Non-PV Owner: 51% Total: 50%
We drive fuel-efficient vehicles. 3.03 3.10
PV Owner: 35% Non-PV Owner: 39% Total: 38% We practice xeriscaping. 2.84 2.77 PV Owner: 12% Non-PV Owner: 13% Total: 13%